With the 2026 academic year only weeks away, more than 10,000 Grade 1 and 8 pupils remain unplaced in Gauteng, fuelling parents’ despair and criticism of the glitch-plagued online admissions system. Despite promises of fixes, recurring technical woes, poor communication and unwanted school transfers have reignited calls for an overhaul from AfriForum, the DA and frustrated families. With the 2026 academic year just weeks away, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) is facing mounting pressure to secure school places for more than 10,000 pupils still awaiting admission to Grade 1 and Grade 8.
This includes 2,848 Grade 1 pupils and 7,447 Grade 8 pupils. “The department continues to work tirelessly to ensure that all students are placed,” read a statement from the department, adding that placement and transfer offers are released daily, especially in high-pressure areas such as Kempton Park, Thembisa, Alberton, Ivory Park and Centurion. When the GDE introduced its online admissions application system in 2015, it was sold as a modern, efficient way to end long queues and bring transparency to school placements.
The primary aim was to develop a centralised database for planning and monitoring admissions processes across the province, while a secondary aim was to eradicate long queues at schools on the first day of applications. The system was designed to ensure schools applied admissions regulations fairly and equitably, with objectives including creating a centralised database to inform resourcing needs across all line functions; eliminating long queues during the application period; placing all learners within set timeframes; ensuring schools placed learners according to capacity in line with infrastructure norms and standards; providing accurate data for proper planning; enabling efficient management and monitoring of admissions processes; and allowing parents to access departmental services with ease. The 2025 cycle has proved no different, with parents across Gauteng voicing growing despair over placement delays, with many describing emotional exhaustion as they face uncertainty just weeks before the 2026 academic year begins.
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Families who have already invested in uniforms and supplies now grapple with explaining the delay to their children, while unwanted school transfers and unresponsive appeals compound the stress A mother, speaking to Daily Maverick on condition of anonymity, called the department’s handling of applications “not good at all”. “Some have been transferred to schools we didn’t even apply for and the appeal process for these offers takes forever,” she said of her Grade 7 daughter’s situation.
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